“What’s the one thing I need to do to stand out among so many applicants?”
That is the question – after speaking engagements, webinars and Twitter chats – that I get most often from young careerists.
Beyond the first-handshake meeting, I rarely know the passions, major, career goals of the person asking the question, so I usually answer the question with sometimes several questions. And what do I learn?
Many job seekers are woefully unprepared to enter, or re-enter, the workforce. They still believe all they need to find work is a decent resume and a couple clicks of the ‘Apply Now’ button on Monster.com or the state-run job board. As dictated by our new economy, they absolutely do not put enough effort into the new job search basics.
What are those basics? Let’s run down the list – and include how many candidates, based on both formal and anecdotal experience, actually put in the effort to reach these minimum requirements…
Complete an Internship… or Six (3 in 5)
We know that 9 out of 10 hires go to those with relevant experience on their resume, including internships. We know that to even be considered for an internship (let alone a job) at many high-profile companies (Google and AOL, for example) an applicant must already have 3 or 4 internships under their belt. We know that employers look for entry-level talent with real-world experience. But only 60% of candidates bother to get even one internship?
2014 Basic Training: If you want a real job, at a real company, within your chosen career field… complete at least one high-impact internship for every year you’re in college.
Complete a LinkedIn Profile (1 in 3)
According to a recent survey by Millennial Branding, less than 40% of recent graduates and career-changers have a profile on LinkedIn. Granted, at less than 200 respondents, the survey size was quite small. However, there is real-world evidence to suggest the percentage of recent grads on LinkedIn is even lower (this includes a recent workshop YouTern completed at a university where I asked the 100+ students, 95% of whom were seniors, how many were on LinkedIn; only 4 – four – raised their hands). Those transitioning to the government sector seem to be more up-to-date on LinkedIn… perhaps 50%.
2014 Basic Training: 94% of recruiters use LinkedIn to source and research candidates. If you aren’t on LinkedIn… you don’t exist. Go “all in” in LinkedIn.
Join a Professional or Industry Association (1 in 5)
That same survey by Millennial Branding said that about 78% of respondents had not yet joined a professional development or industry-related association. From this, we can infer that those who are not involved in their industry associations are behind on not just networking skills, but also are far less likely to have established a mentor relationship with an influencer; it can also be inferred that they have yet to gain any hands-on experience in their industry.
2014 Basic Training: After doing some research (LinkedIn Groups and Googling keywords <Industry or Job Title> is a great place to start): Get involved! Network with influencers. Become known.
Discover a Unique Value Proposition (1 in 10)
Few of those in career transition know what they are really good at, right now. They don’t know specifically how they’ll help a company grow. They don’t know how to sell… themselves. They come across as clones of every other applicant; they give off the “I’ll take anything” scent that destroys recruiters’ confidence in them.
2014 Basic Training: Take some quiet time and write down the 5 words – just five words – that describe your unique value proposition. Avoid phrases like “hard worker” or “detail oriented” – anyone can say that (and they do). Instead, focus your mini-elevator-pitch on your best professional skills. Then try that 5-word phrase on a mentor, professor or objective friend. Rinse and repeat until you get that “a-ha, that’s it!” moment. You’ll know when you’re done… you’ll know when you have the perfect value proposition, for you.
Schedule Informational Interviews (1 in 40)
Informational interviews are amazing. Amazing networking. Amazing industry research. Amazing confidence builders. And yet maybe 2.5% of all careerists take advantage of the opportunity to sit down for 15 minutes with an influencer already working within their career choice.
2014 Basic Training: Through the professional association you joined, your alumni network, or maybe through social media or LinkedIn, find a professional you respect… and ask for a 15 minute coffee meeting or Skype call. Ask about their work, the company and industry. Ask about what it takes to be successful in their role. Then listen… and learn.
Does this work? Yes! In fact, many recruiters and experts refer to informational interviews as the “most effective, least used” job search tactic.
Exhibit Expertise and/or Passion (1 in 50)
Employers – including some who would wholeheartedly agree that far too many job seekers are “woeful” – are universally impressed by a candidate who already walks the walk and talks the talk. They may have read a blog post by the candidate. They might have retweeted a candidate’s clever comment during a Twitter chat. Or, they may remember them from their industry’s annual conference. Point is: they already know the candidate from their work or demonstrated passion. Guess who gets the interview?
2014 Basic Training: Be seen! Through blogging (not a writer? …then comment!), social media (LinkedIn Groups are gold!) or in-person… show that you’re already thinking about your career – and are a do-er, a contributor and a curator of best practices.
Deliver Thank You Notes (1 in 100)
This may seem silly in our digital age; but “old school” is new again, at least when it comes to thank you notes. Why? Because a hand-written note can have a significant impact on recruiters. I’ve probably interviewed 1,000 applicants in the last few years. About 10 of them sent thank you notes. About 5 of those were offered the job. NOT because of the thank you note themselves; there were many other factors involved with each decision. However, those applicants knew how the game was played… and they knew how to win.
2014 Basic Training: Go to Office Depot, buy a box of business-style thank you cards… and execute!
The data (and some objective experiential anecdotes) don’t lie: many would-be employees don’t complete the “new job search basics” Their 3014 job hunt will undoubtedly be long and difficult.
By completing just one of these minimal-effort-required “Basic Training” fundamentals, however, you’ll quickly race ahead of your would-be competition. Take the time to do all seven, and do them well… and you’ll have little trouble being employed… sooner, rather than later.
